Dry-kiln.



E.. A. RUMMLER. DRY KILN',

APPLICATION FILED.1111015.71911.`

Patented Mar. 11,1913.

i@ f, 0 f

-kiln comprises a substantially rectangular p assi' AVAILABLE UNITED STATES OFFICE.

copy

EUGENE A. EUMMLEEoEWINNETKA, ILLINoIs. AssIGNoE. BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, `To THE WENEoENE-KAEPEN DRYER co., A CORPORATION or WEs'r- VIRGINIA.

To all wiom t may concern Beit known that I, EUGENE A. RUMMLER,

'of the type described inV Patent No. 918,621,

issued to Charles A'.*Wenborne April 20th, 1909,.vt particularly adapted for accelerating the drying of coatings of oil, paint, varnish,

and kindred substances, after they have been applied to articles of wood, metal or other materials', for rapidly drying articles and substances that will not withstand the application of temperatures much above ordinary temperatures, or temperatures varying .materially throughout the extent of the articles or substances that are being dried; and

for drying substances which dry by chemical or physical changes other than the mere Aevaporation of moisture. These objects are accomplished by the construction shown. in the accompanying drawings, 1 n which z- Figure l is a somewhat diagrammatic .transverse section of a drying kiln embodying this invention, the supports for the par tition'l and the manifolds and other pipe connections in the background being omitted for thesake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a similar section illustrating a modification of the.

lower portion of the kiln', the upper portion being broken away as it may be similar to that of Fig. `1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a preferred arrangement of a condenser or cooling coils. "Figi 4 is a horizontal section on the line A fof Fig. l.

In the construction shown in Fig. l, the

building, having walls suitably insulated to prevent the loss of heat, and any openings in the interior walls are provided with airtight doors or closures. The interior of the kiln is subdivided by a partition l into a main drying compartment or chamber A and a comparatively lnarrow hot air duct B. The duct B extends throughout the entire height and length ot' the drying chamber A, and the partition l .is so constructed and Specification ofL Letters Patent.

l Enr-KILN..

Patented Mar. 11, 1913.

Application led December 15, 1911. Serial.` No. 665,923.

supported as to provide an air inlet 2 at the top of the kiln, extending Vsubstantially throughout the entire length. of the drying chamber, and an air outlet 3 at the bottom, also extending substantially throughout the length of the drying chamber. `The partit1on l is insulated so as to prevent heat from passing through it and materially affecting the temperatures at opposite sides of it.

Heating coils 4 are arranged in the duct B and extend substantially throughout the length of the kiln. These are located above the outlet opening 3, and are preferably concentrated in the lower part of the duct as shown. In order to prevent the air current at the outlet 3 from being disturbed through the heating of the loorin` the vicinity thereof by radiation lfrom the heating coils 4, a radiation intercepting screen ll is provided below the heatin coils 4. This is made up of slats V-shape in crosssection and nested together or otherwise suitably shaped and arranged to intercept all radiation from the coils while at the same time providing for free flow of air through the screen.

Cooling coils 5 are distributed across the upper part of the drying chamber A below the opening Ql and spaced below the ceiling (i a suilicient distance to provide ample room for undisturbed distribution of air. In order that the cooling coils will cause the air to tlow downwardly in a uniformly distributed current throughout the entire hoi-izontal area ofthe drying chamber, it is important 4that the air coming in Contact with the cooling coils will be reduced to the same temperature at all points throughout the extent of the drying chamber. "jfo thisend, the cooling coil is made up of two separate sets of pipes, similarly distributed, and each set extending throughout the entire area of the drying room, and so connected with the source of cooling medium that the cooling medium willlow in opposite directions through thc adjacent pipes ofvdifferent sets, and thus the mean temperature of the combined coils will be uniform throughout the entire horizontal area. In the form.shown in Fig. 3, the inlet manifolds 7 .are `located at opposite ends of the drying-)chamber A manifolds 8 are located at opposite ends ot the kiln, respectively above the inlet manifolds of the opposite sets of coils 5. Thus,

veach set 'of coils 5 is inclined upwardly v slightly from its. inlet `to its outlet end. This provides suitable draining of the pipes 5 and also insures that as the Water becomes heated by contact with the walls ort the pipes 5. and rises, it will dow/.toward the outlet. As the iow is in opposite' directions in any tfwo adjacent pipes oi' ditteren't sets, the sum of the temperatures of sucht-Wo pipes isthe 'same at all points throughouttheir length,

and the treatment of the air passing both pipes is accordingly'the same at all points In Wide kilns, Where on account of the great distance Which the air must travel horizontally above the cooling coils, the air flowing to the side of the kiln Which is distant from the inlet loses .someot' its velocity,y the loss of velocity may be offset bI inclining the` coil as a Whole lso that its distant side vis h igher than itsl near side. "This increases the height of' the column oi cool air and ac.

cordingly Aincreases the head, which. prodces the movement ofthe air, in proportion to the distance from the hot airduct.

The' door for ingressto 'and egress` from the dryin chamber should preferably be in one en of the kiln, as indicated by the dotted lines 9, Fig. 1, since this-Will permit the door to be opened for the purpose of inspection oi' the contents during the progress of the drying operation with minimum disturbance of the air currents inthe kiln.

In the form shown in Fig. 2;, the outlet 3` is atY the opposite side 'of the kiln from the inlet 2, and communicates with. the air duct B vby means -o't' a 4flue l0 below the licor-ot the drying room. This form may be preerred msome installations.'

proves the drying oi the coating a-ndlat the same time Injvarnish drying, it has been oundthat a certain amount ofhumidity in the air in the drying chamber 1s desirable. It

revents injury to the glued joints of W oden articles. As the air inthe drying chamber during operation is at' .a

temperature considerably above that' of the.

, air Which-is admitted to the"kilnbefore commencing the operation, it is relatively j .drier,'and` moisture should be added.` Thisl may be done I applied Within the hotI air duct, a predeterf,

mined measured quantity shoulclbe -supplied and an excess must be' avoided as it would condense onthe. cooling coils andA cause trouble. Itis' preferred to supplythe',

by placing 1vater in the. kiln inany Way which will distribute.- it evenly .throughout the length ofthe. kiln. It" tis `entrance tothe hot air duct. vAt this point [the air is unable'to take up such an excess of moisture as would condense upon the cooliiiig coils. "Ordinarily, it is enough if water. is supplied once a day to the trough 124, as much Water as vvill Ydisappear in the sand. A sprinkling can vwith a lflattened spoutserves Well forl this purpose.

The operation ci thedevice. shown is as be always 'kept full ot wateiyand-'to this end the inlet valve 153 has its handle re-- moved so that it is not inanipulatedin the Water` being controlled by the outlet valve.

into the 'heating coils, and the wateroutlet. "valve 14; is.' allowed yto remain closed until the temperature inthe hot air duct has-risen. to a suitable'temperature, say 2409 Fahr.v

chamber Vfor some time. In the meantime, the "drier can be loaded. `YVhen this. is done, the door is closed, and the discharge valvel of the condenser is openedftolet the .heated -Waterl ou t,andis/'then shut ott completely.

is opened a little at atime until the flow of lWater through the condenser is such' as to maintain' throughout the drying chamber. the temperature thatis required." Increasing the. flow of Water by opening the discharge valve will loiver the temperature in4 the drying chamber, and .decreasing 'th/e iow will 'raise the temperature. The rate of flow depends upon the areaof the return duct B and the diiierence in Weight per .unit of area of the columns of air at opposite sides of the partition l. ,As the air on both sides of the partition l above the level of lthe coils' is of the same temperature as the air inthe Hue l, 'and as the air on both sides of the partition l below the heating coil 4 is of the same temperature as the air in the drying chamber these portions of the heightoi the columns of airniay be disregarded in calculating the velocity of the air movement for any'given set of teniperlduces 'the iioiv of air may be taken 'as that due to t-hedieren'ce iii-height between the top Ao; the .cooling coils alt- 'tlielowA side andthe :bottom ot` the "heating coil. In such a. calcu lation, theelevation'ofthe opposite side of the cooling. coil .may vbe disregarded as it isniade such'asto give suiicient head to approximately ovei .co 1ne`the friction which the airfe'nct'iunters in reaching that side ot' the coil. The .height of the opening?J is preferably equal. to the `width of the air duet B. 4fllheheight of the opening 3 may -be somewhatless on 'account of the contrae tionof the air after contact with the. cooling '.'lthougli -but' onespecitic embodiment of follows :lt is preferred that the condenser" la.. On startingthe-kiln, steam is turned' The heat Will. apparently stay 4in the hot air ordinary operation of the kiln, fthe flow of Then', the discharge valve o fthe condenser los"l this invention is herein shown and described,it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be alt'eredor omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention, as defined by the following claims.

YI claim 1. A kiln of the class described, comprising a drying chamber, an air -inlet 'communicating with said chamber at one side and near the top thereof, an air outlet communicating with said chamber at one side and near the bottom thereof, a return air duct. connectingsaid inlet and outlet, means for heating the air in said duct, and cooling coils distributed across the upper part of said drying chamber and spaced below the top of the kiln to provide-a distributing chamber above them, said cooling coils serving. as the dividing wall between said (ilrying and distributing chambers and being arranged-to allow the heated air entering from said inlet to spread across the top of the kiln and to cause such air to flow by gravity in a uniformly 4distributed current downwardly through said drying chamber.

2. A kiln of the class described, comprising a drying chamber, an air inlet communieating with said chamber at one side and near the top thereof, an air outlet communieating with said chamber at one side and near the bottom thereof, said inlet and outlet extendingv throughout substantially the length of said drying chamber, areturn air duct narrower than said drying chamber connecting said inlet and outlet,.means for heating the air in said duct, and Cooling coils distributed across the upper part of said -drying chamber and comprising two sets of pipes alternately arranged with respect to each other, separate pairs of manifolds connecting-the opposite ends of the respective sets ofpipes, and means 'for connecting aV source of cooling medium with'one of the manifolds of each set of pipes at. respectivaly opposite ends of the pipes, whereby the cooling medium in passing through said pipes .will How in opposite directions in alternate pipes and insure a substantially uniform mean 'cooling temperature throughout the entire horizontal area of saidV drying cham er.

connecting said inlet'y andy outlet, means for 3. A kiln of the class described, comprising a drying chamber, .an air inletcommunicating with saidchamber at one side,-v and near the top thereof, an' air outlet com-"y municating .with'said chamber at one side and near the bottom thereof, said ,inlet and outlet extending throughout substantially the length of said drying chamb er,'a returnf 'air duct .narrower than said drying-chamber heatingA the air in said duet, two-'sets of cooling coils 'each uniformly distributed vrected air current in Said across the upper part of said drying chain.-

ber throughout substantially the entire' horizontal area thereof, and ,means for connecting a source of cooling medium with respectivelyopposite sides of said two sets of coils, whereby the cooling medium will flow in opposite directions through the coils of different sets and therebyl insure that the meanY temperature of the two sets will be ing a drying chamber, an air inlet communicating with said chamber at one side and near the top thereof, an air outlet com-v municating with said chamber at one side.

and near the'bottom thereof, said inlet and outlet extending throughout substantially the length of said drying chamber, a return air duct narrower than said drying chamber connecting said inlet and outlet, means for heating the air in said duct,and two symmetricallyarranged sets of cooling coils, each set being/equallydistributed throughout substantially the entire horizontal area of the drying chamber, each set comprising inlet and outlet manifolds oppositely arranged with respect to those of the other set, the inlet manifolds of both sets being connected together and to a common source of cooling medium, whereby the flow of cooling medium willbe in opposite directions in adjacent parts of the 'two sets and thereby insure uniform cooling 'effect throughout the entire horizontal area of the drying room.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a drying chamber having an inlet opening at one side near the top thereof and having an outlet opening at one side near the bottom thereof, a hot air duct connecting said inlet and outlet openings, and cooling coils distributed across theupper part of said drying-chamber. the side of said cooling coils adjacent to said hot air-duct beinglocated below thelevel of said air inlet, and the oppositevside of saidcooling,

and communicating therewith' atl openings.

located 'respectively'. near the top and bot- 'toniof said drying' chamber, and coils diss tributed horizontally across said drying chamber between saidl openings for the purpose of changing the temperature-of the air passing' said coils t'o -induce a vertically di- ,ying chamber, the side of said coils which is adjacent to said air duct being ata 'suli-antially ditfei'-, ent level thanthe side which is distant from iso lSaid -ii vduct, -Whereby said coils will tend l v resis'tances met-by the air-in-ftaveling across Signed at Chicago this 13th day of December 1911.

EUGENEA.. RUMMLER.

`Witnessesz the drying room between said air duct and MARY H. BIXEL, said distant side. EDWIN PHELPS.

te vQroiuce :i more rapid air current :1tthe side ofthe drying room which is distant from ail' duct and thereby-of-set-the 

